29 Jul 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic changed hotel housekeeping. A combination of opt-in cleaning policies, guest preferences, and staffing shortages prompted many hotels to scale back housekeeping teams and room cleaning frequency. In the past, daily, in-room housekeeping visits were integral to enforce no-smoking policies. With reduced housekeeping teams, hotels are relying on technology-based solutions to quickly and accurately detect unauthorized smoking. FreshAir provides a cost-effective and discreet solution to enforce no-smoking policies amidst changes in housekeeping norms.

Housekeeping teams used to be the primary source of the photographic evidence needed to prove that smoking had occurred in a hotel room. Many hotels relied on the physical evidence found by housekeepers to successfully charge the smoking fee. FreshAir’s novel technology uses patented polymer sensors to monitor for, immediately detect, and prove tobacco smoking and marijuana smoking. With a FreshAir Smoking Alert, physical proof is no longer necessary to charge a smoking fee. As housekeeping practices evolve with new hospitality norms, FreshAir allows hotels to continue enforcing no-smoking policies by providing novel and reliable ways to prove smoking occured.

FreshAir’s monitoring and alert system connects housekeeping, front desk and maintenance teams on one platform. Connecting these teams with FreshAir’s easy to use mobile app and web portal removes the burden from housekeeping to inspect all rooms. The FreshAir system facilitates communication between hotel teams and provides a tool to effectively streamline no-smoking procedures and follow-up, including an online archive of all Smoking Alerts.

FreshAir Smoking Alerts are timestamped and sent immediately to hotel staff members’ email or mobile device. In the past, hotel staff learned about smoking violations from guests’ complaints and daily housekeeping visits. The timestamped alerts provide the details necessary for today’s hotel teams to follow up with guests in the time and manner they see fit.

The evolution of the hospitality industry includes a move towards more technology-based, contactless customer service. Less frequent housekeeping visits mean that hotels are looking for new ways to keep rooms clean, detect smoking, and enforce no-smoking policies. The FreshAir monitoring system accommodates changes in the hospitality industry by providing an automated, reliable tool to immediately detect tobacco smoking and marijuana smoking. As the hospitality industry pivots to new housekeeping and maintenance standards, FreshAir provides an effective solution for no-smoking policy enforcement.

For more information on the scientific basis of FreshAir Sensor, please view the supporting documents on our Sensor Technology page.

26 Apr 2022

Unauthorized smoking in multi-family apartments and public housing authorities proves costly for owners and property managers. Tobacco and marijuana smoking can cause catastrophic events like fires, and turning over a smoke damaged apartment can be expensive.

According to the United States Fire Administration, an estimated 7,000 smoking-related fires occur in residential buildings each year in the US. Additionally, fires caused by cigarette smoking in apartments result in over $300 million in property loss each year. The National Apartment Association reports that property managers spend between $3,000 and $15,000 to get an apartment ready for a new tenant after excessive smoking.

Property managers and public housing authorities are turning to FreshAir Sensor to detect smoking, reduce risks, and save money. FreshAir offers the only technology that can monitor for and specifically detect tobacco and marijuana smoking. FreshAir’s novel and patented sensors bind only with specific molecules that are present when someone is actively smoking tobacco or marijuana. The 24×7 monitoring catches unauthorized smoking and quickly provides scientific proof of tobacco smoke and marijuana smoke.

By maintaining smoke-free buildings with FreshAir Sensor, property managers and public housing authorities save money and reduce the risk of losses. Certain property insurance companies offer discounts for buildings with smoke-free policies. During a FreshAir visit to a New Hampshire apartment complex with 1,800 rental units, the property manager mentioned that they experienced three fires in 6 months. They are looking to install FreshAir smoking detection devices in all units and work with their insurance company to reduce premiums.

In addition to financial costs, the health risks of smoking in multi-family housing are especially troublesome. According to the CDC, 45% of multi-unit housing residents in the U.S. who do not allow smoking in their homes are involuntarily exposed to secondhand smoke in their units. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, 99% of children in multi-unit housing showed levels of cotinine, a nicotine byproduct, in their blood. Smoking and secondhand smoke are detrimental to children’s health, especially with regards to developmental milestones and respiratory health.

Using FreshAir to enforce no-smoking policies saves money and reduces risks. Property managers can save money on building insurance and maintenance by maintaining smoke-free properties. Property managers and public housing authorities around the country rely on FreshAir to mitigate risks associated with smoking.

02 March 2022

In 2016, the United States Federal Government announced that each public housing authority would need to adopt a smoke-free policy by the end of July 2018. The mandate banned smoking inside or within 25 feet of any public housing structure. While the policy has been an essential step to ensure healthier and safer housing for millions of residents, property managers find enforcement of the policy to be challenging. To improve smoke-free compliance, many property managers have turned to FreshAir Sensor as the primary solution to effectively detect smoking, enforce the federal smoking ban, and keep tenants safe from secondhand smoke.

FreshAir offers the only technology of its kind to accurately monitor for and detect tobacco and marijuana smoking. FreshAir’s novel and patented sensors bind only with specific molecules that are present when someone is actively smoking tobacco or marijuana. The 24×7 monitoring catches unauthorized smoking and quickly provides scientific proof of tobacco smoke and marijuana smoke.

According to the CDC, 34% of multi-unit housing residents in the U.S. who do not allow smoking in their own homes are involuntarily exposed to secondhand smoke in their units. Secondhand smoke causes developmental delays and respiratory problems in children. There is no form of safe secondhand smoke, and unchecked smokers in multi-family units pose health risks to everyone in the buildings.

In addition to keeping tenants healthier, preventing smoking saves money for public housing authorities. Maintaining a no-smoking policy can prevent catastrophic events like fires. The federal smoking ban saves government housing agencies $153 million a year in apartment repairs and health care costs. According to the National Apartment Association, turning over an apartment which has been smoked in costs $3,000 to $8,000.

In the more than 1.2 million public housing rental units in the US, compliance with the smoke-free mandate is a tall order. Public housing authorities around the country install the FreshAir real-time smoking detection system to comply with the Federal mandate

By turning to FreshAir to prevent smoking and navigate their federally mandated no-smoking policies, public housing authorities reduce the risk of fire, eliminate health risks, and save money. As an ally of public housing authorities, FreshAir is working to keep tenants healthy and safe while helping property managers achieve and maintain compliance.

21 Jan 2022

Now more than ever, hotels strive to prevent the spread of disease and keep hotel guests and staff healthy with enhanced cleaning protocols, housekeeping routines, and contactless technology. Guests have welcomed these adjustments and improvements, as they look for safety as much as comfort in their hotel stays. Building on the progress of the cleanliness campaigns, the hospitality industry has the opportunity to utilize novel sensor technology to keep guests safe from the dangers of secondhand smoke.

No form of secondhand smoke is safe for anyone. According to the CDC, secondhand smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals; 70 of which cause cancer. The carcinogenic elements of tobacco smoke and marijuana smoke can eventually lead to severe forms of lung cancer. In addition to lasting health effects in adults, secondhand smoke causes developmental issues when pregnant mothers smoke or are exposed to smoke. Children exposed to secondhand smoke are especially vulnerable, suffering from increased ear infections, asthma attacks, and respiratory illnesses throughout their lifetimes.

With safety in mind, guests and hotel staff like housekeeping want assurances that their stays and workdays do not include exposure to secondhand smoke. With the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, guests and hotel staff are even more concerned with cleanliness standards that impact their health. New research shows that both smoking and secondhand smoke exposure exacerbate COVID-19 symptoms. In light of guest approval of COVID-related cleaning procedures and the importance of maintaining a smoke-free environment, systems and technology to keep hotels smoke-free are more important than ever.

The FreshAir detection system keeps guests and staff free from secondhand smoke exposure. Hotels across the country are installing FreshAir Wi-Fi devices equipped with patented sensors to detect marijuana smoking and tobacco smoking. FreshAir’s 24×7 monitoring catches unauthorized smoking quickly and deters guests and residents from breaking no-smoking policies. FreshAir’s immediate detection and smoking alerts give no wiggle room to policy-breakers, as the system provides scientific proof of tobacco smoke and marijuana smoke.

Secondhand smoke causes many health problems, including cancer and respiratory illnesses. In light of COVID-19, guests support enhanced cleanliness standards for healthy hotel stays. FreshAir helps hotels meet the responsibilities they have to their guests and staff to maintain safe, smoke-free properties.

For more information on the scientific basis of FreshAir Sensor, please view the supporting documents on our Sensor Technology page.

02 Nov 2021

Hotel cleanliness has long been at the top of the list for hotel guest satisfaction. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, hotels were regularly conducting room cleanliness checks. Commonly, a supervisor or manager would check a sampling of rooms – 10 percent is a typical sample size – to ensure they were properly cleaned. A housekeeping supervisor or general manager might conduct the inspection using a pen and paper system with a checklist or focus on a list of items that are often overlooked. After conducting the inspection, management might fill out the form, usually placing it in a binder or storing it in a stack of papers.

While some hotels have established good tracking processes or transitioned to digital records of the room inspections, the average hotel still has difficulty ensuring compliance with room check policies. Hotel or housekeeping management either skip the inspection altogether or fill out the forms without actually conducting the inspection. When these important verification steps are skipped, hotels will only know of issues with room readiness and cleanliness if guests complain directly. Only a small percentage of customer-facing issues actually result in complaints to the hotel. A majority of room readiness mistakes go unknown to management, while still tainting the guest experience and resulting in little to no staff accountability.

The sheer volume of paper or records that typical room check inspection processes generate is another challenge – think stacks of paper forms, shelves full of binders, but most of all, no method to clearly communicate the results to management or ownership.

How can technology simplify and improve the verification of daily cleaning in guest rooms? One approach is FreshCheck, a new technology that enables hotel management to ensure high levels of cleanliness. FreshCheck Inspection Verification uses connected devices in guest rooms and an easy-to-use mobile app to reliably verify room cleanliness and readiness.

The FreshCheck system is simple, easy, and requires no integration with other infrastructure. The small device (1.5-inch x 1.5-inch x 1-inch deep) is installed in each hotel room in a discreet location. The device electronically marks a specific location, so the inspector must be within close proximity to the device to check in at that location.

The room inspector checks a room and then uses the FreshCheck mobile app to record the inspection. The inspector’s mobile device must be in the room and within 10 feet of that room’s device to check in. That room will then be verified as inspected, and the inspector can move on to the next room.

Hotel management can view cleaning verifications and run detailed daily reports on inspected rooms. Those with multiple properties can receive a rollup report of all inspections conducted, enabling management to compare results across their portfolio and eliminate the need to mail stacks of paper or, if digital, sift through unreliable and lengthy records. The app provides a simple way to accurately verify the daily cleaning of each room, improve cleanliness, and improve guest satisfaction.

08 Oct 2021

Unauthorized smoking in hotel guest rooms causes a host of problems, including soft goods damage, poor guest reviews, and costly cleaning procedures. Many hotels charge $500 smoking fees to cover some of the costs. Without physical proof of smoking, hotels are vulnerable to losing these fees to credit card chargebacks. As the only technology which immediately detects and scientifically proves tobacco and marijuana smoking, FreshAir Sensor helps hotels successfully charge and keep smoking fees.

FreshAir Smoking Alerts are stand alone proof that smoking has taken place. FreshAir’s patented sensors have been developed through rigorous peer-reviewed research and testing and are proven to detect tobacco and marijuana smoke. The sensors perform like biological receptors, binding only with molecules that are present when someone is actively smoking tobacco or marijuana. The sensors do not respond to other sources of smoke. The Sensor Technology page includes additional information on how FreshAir sensors function as well as peer-reviewed research articles outlining their development.

The FreshAir smoking detection system includes documentation to help hotels and short term rental companies successfully charge their smoking and/or cleaning fees. With each smoking event, FreshAir users can access a Smoking Report with a time-stamped chart of the incident in the monitored space. This report allows hotel staff to record observations and actions taken for individual smoking violations. Hoteliers can download Smoking Reports to share externally with guests and/or credit card companies at the time of smoking violations or later when smoking fees are disputed.

Many hotels rely on the FreshAir 24×7 monitoring service to avoid chargebacks altogether. In addition to the Smoking Alerts and Smoking Reports, FreshAir offers best practices for hoteliers to promptly respond to Smoking Alerts, record observations and actions, and prevent credit card chargebacks from disputed smoking fees. Historically, physical or photographic evidence was the only way to adequately prove that smoking occured. FreshAir smoking sensors now offer a robust and reliable system of proof.

By providing objective evidence of unauthorized smoking, FreshAir allows hotels to charge smoking fees with confidence. Accurately charging the smoking fee with FreshAir documentation enables hotels to generate fee income and deter future smokers from attempting to smoke in guest rooms, reducing short and long term costs for hotel management.

FreshAir Sensor provides novel technology and reliable service for hotels to collect smoking fee revenue, win credit card chargebacks, and promote clean, smoke-free rooms.

For more information on the scientific basis of FreshAir Sensor, please view the supporting documents on our Sensor Technology page.

01 Jul 2021

No-smoking enforcement in hotels and apartments has been notoriously difficult due to the high burden of proof. Smoking odors and even the presence of smoking materials are often insufficient to charge smoking fees or prove lease violations, particularly when met with cunning guests or residents.

Scientific proof of smoking removes this ambiguity for hotel and apartment managers. As the only technology available to specifically monitor for, immediately detect, and prove tobacco and marijuana smoking, FreshAir smoking detection devices and smoking alerts provide the needed scientific proof. Data-driven smoking alerts streamline policy enforcement and ease communication between operator and customer.

Unlike traditional smoke detectors that indiscriminately indicate any particles, FreshAir’s novel and patented sensors bind only with specific molecules that are present when someone is actively smoking tobacco or marijuana. FreshAir sensors are not fooled by candles, incense, dust, pollen, steam, or other non-smoking sources. When clients receive FreshAir smoking alerts, they have reliable, stand-alone proof of the smoking incidents in the monitored space.

Smoking reports with time stamped charts of the smoking incident (pictured below) accompany each FreshAir alert. Hotel managers use the reports to log staff actions and observations for their records. Hoteliers can download the comprehensive reports to share with their guests at the time of violation to refute common excuses and reduce attempted chargebacks.

In the event of a disputed smoking fee, hoteliers can file the smoking report alongside its registration card to win the chargeback. The smoking alert provides sufficient evidence that smoking took place and the documentation needed to ease client interactions and fully collect smoking fees.

Residential property managers and public housing authorities find that FreshAir’s data-driven evidence improves compliance with federal and state no-smoking regulations. Property managers rely on the smoking alert’s scientific proof to confirm violations. Frequently when a resident’s attorney sees FreshAir documentation of smoking, the resident chooses to settle out of court in favor of the property management. When residents take property managers to housing court, FreshAir documentation has been deemed by judges as clear and convincing evidence to successfully prove the smoking violations.

FreshAir provides a detailed record of not only individual smoking events, but also smoking trends on property. All smoking alerts and reports are logged in the client online portal with timestamps and incident locations. This data allows clients to monitor and quantify trends in no-smoking violations across their properties and portfolios. Seasonal trends, collected fees, and response consistency are among the information accessible to hotels and property managers through FreshAir. Smoking data allows clients to better understand no-smoking violations on their properties and how to prevent them in the future.

Documented alerts and reports provide a data-driven solution to smoking prevention and enforcement. FreshAir clients rely on the evidence provided by smoking alerts to charge smoking fees, ease client interactions during follow up, and enforce lease violations. FreshAir technology works effectively for hotel managers and property managers alike, providing the scientific proof to confidently enforce no-smoking policies.

02 Jun 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic is changing hotel guests’ behaviors and expectations. They spend more time in their rooms, and as a result, unauthorized smoking is on the rise. At the same time, the hospitality industry is adapting to meet higher expectations for cleanliness with new procedures and technologies. With the only technology to immediately detect and scientifically prove smoking, FreshAir Sensor enables hotels and short term rental companies to manage no-smoking policies and promote cleanliness.

For hotels and vacation rentals, shifting travel habits mean preparing for more smoking inside. While frequent business travel has decreased during the pandemic, the work-from-home trend provides workers with the flexibility to take their offices anywhere. Remote workers and leisure travelers are turning to road trips to explore rural parts of the country and prefer longer stays over weekend getaways. In response to these changes, many mid and luxury scale hotels have lowered rates to increase occupancy and, in some cases, shifted the demographics of their customer base. With a different population of guests spending more time in their rooms, the hospitality industry has seen an increase in the number of unauthorized smoking events.

In addition to changes in traveler profiles and itineraries, the American Hotel & Lodging Association State of the Industry 2021 Report details that the pandemic has modified guest expectations for cleanliness. Hotel companies turned to third party cleaning certifications and heightened transparency via corporate cleaning programs such as Marriott’s Commitment to Cleanliness, IHG’s Clean Promise, and Hilton’s CleanStay. To allow for distancing, public areas and gathering spaces have been modified and amplified. Because smoking is a top factor in negative guest reviews related to cleanliness, limiting unwanted smoking continues to be a top priority for hoteliers.

Adapting to changing travel norms, the hospitality industry is investing in new technology to meet changing guest needs. Contactless check-in as well as novel cleaning technologies help to meet new expectations. FreshAir smoking sensors immediately detect tobacco smoke and marijuana smoke, and the FreshAir monitoring service sends smoking alerts directly to hotel management via desktop, email, and/or text. The FreshAir smoking detection system supports the hospitality industry’s shift towards contactless processes and enables hoteliers to enforce no-smoking policies quickly, remotely, and safely.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed travel as well as guest habits and expectations. Many hotels and short term rentals are rising to the occasion by investing in new technology. FreshAir Sensor continues to support hotels by providing a contactless solution for smoke-free enforcement and room cleanliness.